£8m upgrade for Maidenhead station proposed

05 Sep £8m upgrade for Maidenhead station proposed

An £8 million upgrade for Maidenhead station has moved a step closer after councillors approved a report into improvements which could be largely funded by the LEP.

The Royal Borough’s highways, transport and environment overview and scrutiny panel, agreed on Tuesday, August 29 to recommend that a report for the improvements, goes to tomorrow’s (Tuesday, September 5) meeting of the cabinet regeneration sub-committee.

It proposes changes to the access and interchange at the station but those changes will not include a new bus interchange at this stage which would be considerably more expensive.

A draft concept presented at the Highways Overview and Scrutiny Panel includes a new public space in front of the ticket office, a cycle hub with 300 secure cycling spaces and better links from the town centre to the station.

Current look of Maidenhead Station

In Station Approach the existing parking would be replaced by 20 set-down and pick-up bays, and there would be two lanes of taxi queuing space, giving room for 10 taxis to wait. There would also be disabled parking bays and two staff parking spaces for Network Rail. The parking will be ‘reprovided’ nearby as part of a wider strategy.

In summary the proposed scheme includes improved connections for cyclists, pedestrians, bus, train and taxi users; improved links to the town centre with environmental improvements to the station forecourt and new parking spaces to replace those currently at the forecourt.

Cllr Hari Sharma, (Con, Furze Platt) bus champion at RBWM, told the meeting the council could consider an underground bus station. However, executive director Russell O’Keefe said an underground bus station would be expensive.

The council has provisionally secured up to £6.75m of Growth Deal funding from Thames Valley Berkshire LEP for the scheme which is in preparation for the arrival of the Elizabeth Line.

The growth deal funding would require a borough contribution of at least 20 per cent and estimated costs of the scheme would be £8m.

From December 2019, four Elizabeth line trains an hour (six an hour at peak times) will allow passengers to travel right through central London without having to change trains. Two Elizabeth line trains an hour (four an hour at peak times) will run between Maidenhead and Reading.